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Knights Fall to Oles in Spring Break Match Play Dual

March 21, 2012 at 8:53 am

Sophia Roman (shown here at the 2011 MIAC Championships) tallied a full point in singles play in the College City Cup against rival St. Olaf. (photo by Greg Smith)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--Sophia Roman (Fy./Portland, Ore./Catlin Gable) played her best round as a collegian and Kelsey Moede (Fy./Lake Oswego, Ore.) finished with a flourish, but a short-handed Carleton side fell to rival St. Olaf, 10.5-4.5, in a match-play event at Grande Oaks Golf Club in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Roman, who is undergoing some major swing changes, carded around an 84 in the match-play format, her best score according to head coach Eric Sieger. Moede, meanwhile, who has also been working hard on a swing change, played the final six holes in under par.

"I was very pleased to see Sophia and Kelsey carry the work we've been doing over the last month or so on to the course," Sieger said. "It also gives them a lot of motivation moving forward the rest of the spring to continue to work on the areas we've targeted."

Roman, Moede and Taylor Wells (Fy./Rochester, Minn./Century) were the only Knights to garner a full point or more in their singles matches, as Moede beat St. Olaf's Molly Erickson, 1 up, while Wells edged the Oles' Molly Knutson by the same count. Moede added a half point, finishing all square with Knutson. Roman, meanwhile, finished level with both St. Olaf seniors Rachel Wieme and Eliz Geisendorfer-Lindgren, earning a total of one point from the two matches.

The Knights played without Gina Kabasakalis (Fy./Alameda, Calif./College Prep), who suffered a hand injury and was unavailable. Sieger said she'll be ready to go when the team returns to competition in April. Because of the injury and the roster size disparity between Carleton and St. Olaf, the Knights "drafted" St. Olaf's Linde Sundell to be a part of the Knights' side for the match.

"It was a lot of fun meeting up with St. Olaf down here and competing against them," Sieger said. "We're certainly rivals on the course, but we respect their players and program immensely and we enjoy our friendships off the course. The two teams are certainly role models for Division III and golf in general in the way they treat one another."

Carleton returns to action on April 14-15, participating in the St. Thomas Invitational in Becker, Minn.